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| | Public | Private |
| Study (Authors’ Names) | Economic study objectives and design
Health service utilization/measured costs | In-patient | Home and ambulatory | Out-of-pocket | Time losses (labour market) | Time losses (Household work/leisure) | Third party insurance |
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| Axelsson and Christensen [28] | Hospitalization costs of patients enrolled in a home-based palliative care service were compared with a matched historical cohort receiving institutionally based care and a cohort of patients eligible for but not receiving the palliative service (Sweden).
Measured costs: in-patient days from diagnosis to death, number of admissions, duration terminal hospitalization. | × | | | | | |
|
| Bruera et al. [4] | A retrospective study comparing acute-care costs in terminally ill patients during their last hospital admission prior to and after implementation of a regional palliative care program.
Measured costs: number of cancer deaths, mean LOS, total number of in-patient days, palliative hospice care and consult teams, physician and specialist billings (Canada). | × | × | | | | |
|
| Brumley et al. [3] | A prospective study comparing service utilization of a palliative care program with regular home health care (California).
Measured costs: ED visits, physician office visits, hospital days, skilled nursing facility days, home health and palliative visits days on hospice. | × | × | | | | |
|
| Brumley et al. [29] | A randomized controlled trial to evaluate the ability of an in-home palliative care program to reduce medical costs in comparison to standard care.
Measured costs: emergency visits, physician office visits, hospital days, skilled nursing facility days, home health and palliative care visits, palliative physician home visits, days on hospice. | × | × | | | | |
|
| Chan et al. [6] | A prospective study to determine the societal cost a palliative care program from first admission until death (Hong Kong).
Measured costs: in-patient care (hospital and hospice), outpatient services, Chinese and herbal medicines, supplies privately obtained, income lost by patients/caregivers. | × | × | × | × | | |
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| Cowan [30] | Review of administrative data to evaluate costs of an in-patient palliative care consultation service compared with inpatients receiving usual care (USA).
Measured costs: Hospital length of stay and hospital charges. | × | | | | | |
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| Dumont et al. [7] | A prospective study of palliative care to compare resource utilization, service use, and associated costs in five regions across Canada.
Measured costs: in-patient days, out patient visits, home care visits, phone calls, medical equipment use, transportation costs, caregiver time spent on household chores, errands, and personal care for the patient. | × | × | × | | × | |
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| Elsayem et al. [31] | Retrospective review of in-patient costs associated with patients enrolled in a Palliative Care In-patient Service (USA).
Measured costs: number of inpatient days and hospital billing. | × | | | | | |
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| Fassbender et al. [2] | Retrospective review (administrative databases) to evaluate health system costs of palliative care before and after implementation of a community-based palliative care service (Canada).
Measured costs: community care, in-patient, physician, and medications. | × | × | | | | |
|
| Gόmez-Batiste et al. [32] | Prospective multicentre study to compare in-patient costs and resource utilization of a palliative care service compared with historical data prior to implementation of the service (Spain).
Measured costs: in-patient acute care, in-patient palliative care, ED visits, palliative care outpatient clinic, physician visits. | × | × | | | | |
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| Hanson et al. [33] | Prospective case-control study to determine the impact of palliative care consultations on hospital costs of terminally ill hospitalized patients (USA).
Total hospital costs, length of stay, average daily costs. | × | | | | | |
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| Johnson et al. [34] | Pilot study to evaluate service use and costs of a home-based palliative care program (Canada).
Measured costs: personnel support, laboratory tests, nursing visits, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy, medical supplies and equipment, medications. | | × | | | | |
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| Oliver et al. [35] | A retrospect chart analysis to determine resource use and costs of patients diagnosed with small lung cell carcinoma from diagnosis until death (United Kingdom).
Measured costs: in-patient days, outpatient visits, investigations, laboratory tests, medications, radiotherapy fractions, hospice in-patient days and outpatient visits, community nursing visits, social service support consultations. | × | × | | | | |
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| Penrod et al. [36] | Retrospective analysis of administrative data to examine hospital utilization and direct costs of a palliative care consultation program in comparison to usual care in two centers (USA).
Measured costs: LOS, ICU LOS, medical supplies, laboratory and radiology services, physician, nursing, contract, and all other labour. | × | | | | | |
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| Shnoor et al. [5] | Retrospective case-control cost analysis of patients receiving home hospice services in comparison to conventional health services in the two months prior to death (Israel).
Measured costs: medications, laboratory tests, radiographs, imaging, home and hospital procedures, medical equipment, in-patient days, ED visits, surgical procedures, any other treatment for which the service providers were paid. | × | × | × | | | × |
|
| Smith et al. [37] | Case-control study to measure the cost of care in a dedicated in-patient palliative care unit. Daily costs of the palliative care unit were compared to in-patient costs prior to transfer to unit, as well as to patients who died using conventional medical services.
Measured costs: daily charges in-patient and costs of days prior to transfer to palliative care unit. | × | | | | | |
|
| Tamir et al. [38] | Retrospective review of administrative databases to compare health service utilization during the last year of life in patients receiving home-specialized palliative care with nonspecialized care (Israel).
Measured costs: ambulatory procedures, laboratory, imaging, consultations, in-patient costs and LOS, ED visits, physician visits, oncology treatments. | × | × | | | | |
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| White et al. [39] | Longitudinal case study to measure costs of a hospital-based palliative care unit in the 20 days prior to death. Costs of care were compared between the palliative care unit, the ICU, and other units.
Measured costs: average cost per day of patients who died in the hospital. | × | | | | | |
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